Search form

Search form

Security concerns continue to be a roadblock to implementation for many companies that are eager to benefit from cloud computing, research shows. Ashvin Kamaraju of data-security firm Vormetric outlines the various ways a company can leverage encryption to make its cloud, whether public or private, more secure.

Related Summaries

IBM says its revenues were down 13.5% in the second quarter, a 13th consecutive quarterly loss. IBM's software business saw the heaviest losses, but Chief Financial Officer Martin Schroeter said the company believes cloud computing, Big Data and security initiatives will generate $40 billion by 2018. "We will get returns on the investments in time," Schroeter said.

Amazon is touting a cloud-based data-security service designed for Amazon Web Services users. CloudHSM allows users to store sensitive data and encryption keys in the cloud instead of on-site, the company says. The service will enable businesses to manage database encryption, transaction processing and other functions, Amazon says.

The lack of centralized control and absence of proper management tools are among the leading reasons why significant data breaches occur and show what should be done about them, writes Ashvin Kamaraju of Vormetric. Not having a single standard for IT security is also a problem, he notes. "Deploying a centralized enterprise security management strategy ... will help prevent data security breakdowns that lead to breaches and costly public disclosures," he writes.

Cloud-services providers and partners should review customers' contracts regarding data-security liability issues, to be sure that the contracts don't leave the company on the hook or require costly renegotiation down the line, experts say. Resellers can be held responsible if it can be proven they knew about data-security vulnerabilities and didn't act to correct them, experts say. Being modest about one's claims and knowing the limits of upstream providers also can protect a company, they say.

The tech sector is experiencing its highest level of merger-and-acquisition activity since before the tech bubble burst, thanks in part to next-generation mobile and cloud-computing advances and a need by firms to add talent and to seek to eliminate competition, according to this article. According to a poll, about eight out of 10 technology chief financial officers expect an increase in M&A activity this year.